VIFF Received $467,000 in Federal Funding After Losing BC Grant

by Scott Wu | September 25, 2009 at 10:41 am

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Vancouver International Film Festival (VIFF) has received $467,000 in federal funding today after an unexpected cut of BC provincial gaming grant.

The new funding is part of the Marquee Tourism Events Program, for marketing the event to tourists. Canadian Heritage Minister James Moore said the Vancouver International Film Festival has a "real impact" on the "visitor economy".

BC government's unexpected cut in provincial gaming grant has put art organizations in funding crisis. VIFF lost $70,000 in funding as a result. Other organizations which had depended on the grant are struggling to survive.

Even the Vancouver International Film Festival lost out on a $70,000 grant. But artistic director Alan Franey says VIFF will be able to deal with it: “If no money falls from the heavens in the next couple of months, at fiscal year end, we will have a deficit. But we are not in the position of some of our poor colleagues who can't even afford to make payroll.”

VIFF's prayer has been answered just less than one week before its opening on October 1st. The event will last for 2 weeks, ending on October 16th.

The Vancouver International Film Festival will be showing more than 370 films this year. With 150,000 people expected to attend, it is one of the biggest film festivals in North America.